Manchester United signed Paul Pogba back from Juventus in what was at that point in time a world record fee.
But the midfielder has failed to do anything significant during his second spell at the club despite getting everything he has wished for.
Initially this season, Paul Pogba had a rift in the relationship between Jose Mourinho and many claimed that the manager was the reason why the Frenchman cannot focus on his game.
But then, Jose was sacked and Solskjaer was brought in to steady the ship.
The Norwegian immediately gave Paul Pogba the free role in midfield and while his performances did spike for a couple of games but during the past couple of weeks, the World Cup winner has returned back to mediocrity.
This season, Paul Pogba has managed to score 16 goals and provide 11 assists in all competitions but despite that, he has failed to control games – often being bossed by his counterparts.
And now, oddly enough Pogba has come out to defend himself by citing examples of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Pogba told Icon Magazine(as reported by Goal): “Football has changed a lot. I grew up watching the exploits of great champions, real legends like [Alessandro] Del Piero, [Luis] Figo, [Francesco] Totti and many others.
“All have been champions, the best in the world, but perhaps many of them did not achieve more than 20 goals per season.
“Now the data, the statistics, the numbers, often seem to have become the only parameter of judgment.
“That, on the one hand, is good, it is part of the evolution of modern football and the desire to play the ball more and more. But we often tend to forget how difficult it has always been to score more than 20 goals, even for the big players.
“And today perhaps even more so, because the distance between the teams of high level has been reduced, especially in big competitions.
“Messi and Ronaldo have shown in recent years: doing what they did, maintaining those stats – that is the exception, not the norm.
“If an attacker today scores ten or 15 goals, he is likely to be told that it is not enough. But the player’s work must be judged with perspective.
“You have to remember that someone like Pavel Nedved won the Ballon d’Or without his team winning the Champions League or without having scored much himself. He was simply the best in his role and was rewarded for what he was capable of doing on the field.”
Solskjaer was pretty upbeat about using Paul Pogba in his plans but now there have been numerous reports that the Norwegian might very well try and offload him during the summer transfer window.
